


kiss the universe (and the owls)

by solthes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi in denial, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:54:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25730920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solthes/pseuds/solthes
Summary: owl doodles, volleyball, soulmates.the three things that intertwined Akaashi Keiji to Bokuto Koutarou
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 9
Kudos: 108





	kiss the universe (and the owls)

**Author's Note:**

> Bokuaka soulmate AU where you can communicate with your soulmate through your skin, and Akaashi slowly realises that Bokuto was connected to him in ways that he would've never expected

Akaashi Keiji glanced at his arm as he felt a tingling sensation run through it. Ah, his soulmate was writing to him again. He repressed the urge to take a small peek at it, and returned his focus to the teacher at the front. 

Most people, upon realising they had soulmates, would logically ask to meet up as soon as possible.

Akaashi and his soulmate, however, were different from the majority. They never mentioned names, cities, or schools. Instead, they talked about their days, about volleyball, and used their bodies as a drawing canvas to doodle to each other. The only thing Akaashi knew about the other was that he was one grade above him, and that he played volleyball. Both of them simply never felt the urge to ask each other out, and they were happy to keep it that way for a long time.

When he was younger, Akaashi's parents had never bothered to inform him that words and drawings would magically appear on his body. When he first realised that the owl on his hand wouldn't disappear no matter how hard he scrubbed or dunked it in water, he started bawling his eyes out, thinking he was cursed by a witch or wizard. As a child, Akaashi Keiji was not as logical as he was now, and that may have been because of the Harry Potter movies that he had watched with his parents during movie nights.

It took an hour for his parents to calm him down and explain to him the concept of soulmates. He didn't believe there was someone else who could write on his skin, who could talk to him anytime they wanted to. He refused to draw on his body and ignored the doodles and words scribbled from time to time by the unknown person. He would guiltily take a peek at the ink on his arm every now and then and the urge to reply would be strong, but he ignored it nonetheless. He didn't want to have any contact with someone he had never even met before. It was terrifying to know that the universe could just shove two people together and call it a day. What if he got paired with a serial killer? It wasn't natural at all, despite what everyone else thought.

In school, soulmates made for the juiciest gossip one could talk about. Oh, did so-and-so finally meet up with their soulmate? Did someone get paired up with a senior? 

Akaashi never participated in these conversations. They were mundane to him. What was the big deal? Everyone had one anyway, it was just a matter of who decided to speed things up and go against the universe.

"Akaashi, do you really not talk to your soulmate?" The kid sitting beside him leaned over, tapping the table in an absentminded rhythm. That was really annoying. Akaashi put down his book pointedly and stared back flatly, shaking his head, hoping the kid got the sign that he didn't wish to converse with him anymore.

"Don't you wanna know them? Or even meet them?" 

Another shake. The tapping suddenly felt louder. Akaashi could feel his blood vessels bursting.

"I feel bad for them, they've gotta feel so lonely."

He forcefully stood up with a bang as the chair slid backwards. The tapping immediately stopped. He stormed out of the classroom in huge strides. 

"Hey, maybe Akaashi doesn't have-"

He slammed the classroom door shut. He didn't want to hear the end of the sentence. So what if he didn't want to communicate with his soulmate? They were soulmates for a reason; fate would find a way to force them together in the near future. That was none of their business too.

He felt a sensation on his right hand and his eyes quickly flickered down. 

An owl was being drawn on his arm again, with eyes and legs that didn't look quite symmetrical. It looked like a broom.

_"I feel so bad for them, they've gotta feel so lonely."_

He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head, hoping to forget about the stupid kid's words. 

After feeling the weird, tingly sensations for another 5 minutes, Akaashi finally gave in. He held his breath as he slowly took out a pen from his pocket, hesitantly holding it above the bare skin beside the completed purple owl. Maybe he should just reply once? The least he could do was let his soulmate know that he existed.

_I like your owl, it's cute._

He hastily shoved the pen back into his pocket and stumbled back into the classroom. He pointedly ignored his table mate and everything else around him, including the new sensation of ink staining his skin under his sleeves.

When Akaashi snuck to the toilet during the lunch break, he rolled up his sleeves and stared at his arm.

_i'm glad you like it!! i'll draw more owls from now on!!!_

Akaashi let out a small huff of laughter, and washed away the words he had written, walking out of the toilet with his heart fluttering. Maybe his soulmate wasn't so bad after all.

_______________________________

His soulmate started writing to him more once he knew that Akaashi existed. It ranged from _How was your day?_ to more doodles of owls. He begrudgingly admitted to himself that his soulmate wasn't such a horrible artist, despite not wanting to admit so to them.

Akaashi had unknowingly started to call his soulmate "Owl" in his head. It was less of a mouthful comparatively after all.

He learnt that Owl's favourite food was barbequed meat and that he was a volleyball maniac. When asked about his day, volleyball would always be the highlight of his messages. He probably ate, slept, and breathed volleyball. He was also very forgetful, judging by the number of times his homework or some random address was written on the back of his hands. Akaashi couldn't fathom why he, the stoic and logical Akaashi Keiji, didn't mind such actions, when less than a month ago he would've been annoyed out of his mind. 

Oh, and he also loved owls, if the name Akaashi had given him wasn’t obvious enough. There were apparently a lot near his house, and that led to him falling in love with them. If he wasn’t talking about volleyball, he was talking about the different types of owls that appeared at his window every so often.

_hey hey hey! do you play volleyball too??_

Akaashi looked down at his arm. Owl was once again talking about volleyball. He sighed fondly as he took a pen from his table and jotted down an answer.

_No, I'm not really the athletic type._

Owl's original message was quickly scrubbed off and was replaced with a new one.

_you should! it's fun!_

Akaashi stared at the message for a while, trying to convince himself not to fall for Owl's words.

However, that turned out to be futile as his soulmate decided to scribble down a few more words and a small owl with huge puppy eyes.

_pretty please?_

That settled it for Akaashi. After much consideration, he went to try out the volleyball team and decided to stay. Volleyball could be fun at times, especially when he scored points against the opponent. The feeling of delight when he watched the opponent try to save a falling ball, towering over them with satisfaction. Being a setter made him exercise his brain more and having control of the court was a feeling of pure euphoria that could not be compared to scoring an A on a ridiculously hard test. The pure adrenaline that rushed to his head in the middle of an intense match made him want to play and savour the moment forever.

It also made him feel closer to Owl.

He should really thank his table mate for initiating that conversation. Maybe. 

_______________________________

His first encounter with Bokuto Koutarou could only be described as magical. A scene out of a fantasy romance film. 

When his teammates dragged him to the gym to watch the high schoolers play, he knew he would be bored out of his mind. They were just slightly older than them and could play slightly better, what was the big deal?

He ended up eating his words when his attention was immediately captured by this boy with white hair and weird black stripes that sliced his hair like lightning. He ran around slapping everyone on their backs, even if they lost the point. His cheerful energy lightened the entire atmosphere on the court, and Akaashi felt himself staring with anticipation. His reactions when he got blocked were so over dramatic yet oddly… adorable. He couldn't understand why he was so captivated and entranced by this strange boy who seemed to find joy in everything he did.

However, when the boy leaped to spike the ball during match point, that was the moment Akaashi felt something flip in his mind. The white haired boy's eyes were filled with hunger and excitement, and the way he was playing made it obvious that he was enjoying himself to the fullest. His clean posture, his beautiful form, the smile of pride on his face, everything, even down to the way his golden eyes widened as he smashed the ball down. The way he landed and cheered boisterously, throwing his fist into the air and yelling as his teammates all rushed to congratulate him. 

It was all so...beautiful, like a picture out of a gallery. Something that deserved to be framed and preserved.

Akaashi stared numbly at the boy on the court and clutched his bag tightly. His eyes were glued to this shining boy. It was as if… he was a 'star' unlike any other. He radiated with so much energy on and off the court and Akaashi couldn't stop thinking about the way he smiled and the way his eyes widened with pride as he scored a point. It felt as if someone had splashed a bucket of ice-cold water on his face, taunting him repeatedly. He couldn't hear his teammates' chatter or the audience’s cheers. All he could see and hear was the boy's actions and shouts of delight. He couldn't tear his eyes off of him; it was immersing to watch him soar. Akaashi was frozen to the ground as his mind tried to absorb as much as he could about the boy. He was filled with fascination as he continued watching the boy's plays. He had never seen anything so beautiful, had never seen anyone so excitable and dedicated. His actions were graceful and smooth despite his rowdy exterior. How would it feel to set for such a person? 

He glanced down at his arm with a small pang of guilt, and he shoved it away to watch the boy play again.

He finally decided where he was going for high school.

_______________________________

After watching the match, he went home and smashed his face on a pillow, lying still until he was called down for dinner. Owl had asked him how his day was and he stared at it, not knowing how to reply to him. When he finished chewing on his rice, he retreated into his room immediately. He took out a pen from his bag and finally replied.

_I decided where I'm going for high school._

Less than a minute later, he glanced back down at his arm to see '!!!' written with a bunch of circles that resembled… a thumbs-up? Owl wasn’t the best at human anatomy.

_i had a great volleyball match today! i had lots of fun!!_

Akaashi's mind unhelpfully supplied him with an image of the white haired boy spiking the ball in midair. He furiously shook his head and focused back on his arm, seeing new words written down.

_i hope you can get into the school you wanna go to!! maybe we can meet each other in volleyball!_

Owl was always so excited in his messages that it lifted Akaashi's unhappy or brooding moods whenever he was in one. He lets out another puff of laughter and his lips curl up into a small smile.

_Maybe we will. Goodnight. I hope the owls come visit you._

He got up to walk to the bathroom to wash off the ink.

_______________________________

His first face-to-face, two sided conversation with Bokuto Koutarou occured in the club room, when he's trying to sign up for the volleyball club. 

"You're a setter?" Bokuto asked, bouncing up and down on his heels.

Akaashi nodded mutely, trying to keep his face emotionless.

"Sweet!" Bokuto visibly vibrated on the spot, excitedly grabbing onto Akaashi's arm. "Toss to me!"

Akaashi froze. His idol, star, whatever, was asking him to toss to him? Never in a million years would he have imagined this to be the situation.

"Oi, cut it out. Don't scare the juniors away even before they've even joined the team." A boy with dirty-blonde hair and messy bangs grabbed onto Bokuto's head and nudged it harshly. Bokuto quickly let go of Akaashi's sleeves and he embarrassingly found himself missing the warm touch of his hand.

"Ow! Konoha!" Bokuto complained as he rubbed the top of his head with a cheeky smile on his face.

Konoha(?) sighed as he shook his head in mild annoyance. "Don't worry about him. You can come back later if you want to." 

Akaashi gave a small nod and ran out of the room, clutching tightly onto his chest as his heart thumped wildly against his ribcage. His face felt really warm and uncomfortable. He duceds his head, trying to avoid looking at anyone else as he navigated his way back to class. Even his body is betraying him now. Traitor.

_______________________________

High School was, yet again filled with the same chatter of soulmates, but with more maturity. Everyone now treated the messages on their arms with more secrecy, not something meant to be shown off to the entire world. Akaashi was glad for it anyways. He didn't want anyone to see the private messages between him and Owl. 

During class, he looked down on his forearm to see new shapes forming. Before allowing Owl to finish the portrait, he snuck a look at the teacher, making sure he wasn't looking at Akaashi, and quickly wrote down a message.

_Aren't you supposed to be in class now?_

The replay was instantaneous.

_it's soooooo boring. so, u joining the new vb team?_

Akaashi sighed and felt his lips perking up with amusement. 

_Changing subjects? Yes, I applied for the volleyball team._

An owl was immediately drawn beside the message, accompanied by a smiley face and party poppers. Akaashi eyes softened with adoration before turning his attention back to the whiteboard.

_______________________________

Club activities came around way too quickly and Akaashi soon found himself standing in the gym, patiently waiting for introductions. He noticed Bokuto's intense stare from out of a corner of his eye and shuffled around when he was asked to introduce his name and position.

The moment introductions were over, Bokuto immediately bounced over to Akaashi and waved at him.

"Hey hey! You're back here!" Bokuto grinned as he slung an arm around his shoulders, forcing Akaashi's heartbeat to quicken up.

Akaashi nodded as he tried not to fall over from Bokuto's arm. Those muscles were definitely not for show. 

"I hope I can work well with you, Bokuto-san." Akaashi murmured softly. 

Bokuto's eyes perked up immediately. "I'm sure we will!" He chuckled loudly, attracting the attention of the other members.

"There he goes, harassing another junior. I feel bad for the kid already."

"Kid? He's just a year younger than us, you stupid grandpa."

Somehow, under Bokuto's arms and surrounded by teasing laughter, Akaashi found himself feeling blissful amongst the chaos.

_______________________________

_so? how was the club??!_

Akaashi put down the book he was skimming through for a report and picked the pen up gingerly before scribbling down a reply.

_It was nice. I met the ace of the team._

_thats good!! I met a new setter too!! hes quiet but I like him already! hes really cool too!!_

An ugly feeling squirmed in his stomach, making him feel on edge. 

_I see. I have to finish my homework, ttyl._

He ended the conversation abruptly and slammed his pen on the table, breathing heavily. He slowly tilted his head upwards and stared at the ceiling as he tried to regulate his breathing. Why was he feeling like this? This icky, uncomfortable feeling that pooled in his stomach and made him feel….bitter? 

He turned his attention back to the book and ignored his emotions. Homework doesn’t care about emotions.

A while later, Akaashi felt another tingling sensation on his arm and his eyes flitted from the book to the arm, hesitating to read the message written.

_gn! i hope the owls from my area visit you!! tell them i said hi!!_

The icky, uncomfortable feeling immediately gets replaced with butterflies floating and fighting to get out of his intestines. Akaashi took out a pen again.

_Goodnight._

_______________________________

"Akashi! Akashi! Can you toss for me today?" Bokuto beamed brightly as he jumped around Akaashi, like a puppy in need of attention. His smile reminded him of the stars that shone brightly outside his window at night.

Speaking of, he could hear owls hooting and rustling outside his house that night. He wonders if Owl is secretly an animal whisperer. 

"It's Akaashi, not Akashi."

"Well then Akaashi, will you toss to me?" Bokuto continued on, eyes reflecting his eagerness.

Despite practice already being over and Akaashi feeling worn to the bone, he couldn't find it in himself to decline his request. It was as if a mysterious force was pushing him towards Bokuto. Like magnets attracting iron, he found himself being pulled towards Bokuto.

"Sure, but only for a while."

Bokuto cheered and Akaashi felt his face burn.

Apparently, Bokuto's version of 'only for a while' was different from Akaashi's. An hour later, they're the only ones left in the gym, Akaashi panting harshly as he picked up a stray ball and Bokuto still as energetic as ever. Akaashi was starting to think that Bokuto has energy fuel in his blood.

Akaashi sighed tiredly and mourned for his sanity as Bokuto, still pumped with energy, demanded for more tosses.

"It's getting late. I need to get home soon." Akaashi said as he picked up another stray ball. 

Bokuto's head drooped for a second before snapping back up again. "Sure! Let's lock up and go!" He replied.

As they picked up the balls in a comfortable silence, Bokuto’s fingers started to nervously fiddle with the ball that he had balanced on his palm. Akaashi glanced at him and was about to open his mouth to make a comment when Bokuto swiveled around and flashed a grin at Akaashi.

"Your tosses are the best!"

And for the second day in a row, Akaashi felt his heart pounding loudly as his mind hit blanks and the words echoed obnoxiously through his mind. He gave a small smile.

"Thank you very much."

_______________________________

A new and comfortable routine was made for Akaashi. He would attend class, go for volleyball practice, stay behind and practice a little more with Bokuto (Read: A very, very long time), go home, and write to Owl. It was simple, constant, straightforward. 

Except for the feelings that he felt. Those were conflicting, disgusting, and hard to ignore. He couldn't just pretend that his heart wouldn't go flying and dancing in his chest and his lips wouldn't turn dry and his brain wouldn't turn into mush whenever Bokuto complimented him and slapped his back. It was frustrating. And there was also the issue of him feeling icky when he talked to Owl about the setter that he was playing with. He felt a weird pang of jealousy towards the setter whenever Owl mentioned him. It's not as if that setter ever did anything wrong, and Akaashi had no rights to complain considering his weird feelings towards Bokuto, but...

He couldn't help but feel jealous that this setter could play a part in Owl's life, and yet here he was, with their only connection through their bond and skin. It was tempting to just give it up and just ask to meet Owl, but he wasn't sure if Owl would agree to it. Plus, even if he didn’t admit it out loud, he still stuck to his belief that fate would decide when they eventually met up.

This didn't mean that he didn't want to meet Owl immediately though.

_______________________________

Akaashi was sweaty all over with a pounding headache. Despite the bucket of sweat coating his head and his body, Akaashi Keiji, against his usual common sense, covered himself with blankets and shivers as he grabbed more pillows to cover his face with. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. His headache was numbing all his thoughts and his throat felt sore and scratchy, as if he's been shouting through the entire night.

He was pretty sure he had not been shouting through the entire night, he could confirm that much. 

His parents, seeing his sickly condition, ordered him to stay at home and rest. Akaashi wasn't even conscious enough to protest or give any sign of agreement before falling back into his deep slumber. His muscles ached like hell and the pain couldn’t even compare to a hard day at practice. He groaned miserably as he tunneled deeper into his blanket fort, hoping to feel better.

He started recalling his actions in the past few days, wondering how on earth he could have gotten sick. No one in his class or club had been sick, and he doesn't remember doing anything that would've caused him to be this miserable. It wasn't flu season either, so why...

The realisation then hit him as he slowly blinked and facepalmed. He remembered why. 

He remembered running home in the heavy rain after Bokuto persuaded him to buy an ice cream at the convenience store outside the school. On a cold day. Against his better judgement, he agreed to Bokuto. When they left the gym, light sprinkles of rain were falling and they both assumed it wouldn't get worse. 

By the time they reached the shop, the rain was pouring heavily, showing no mercy to them. He groaned in misery again as he laid on his bed, one hand tangled in his blankets and the other pressed against his forehead. Ah shit, he felt miserable. He sluggishly blinked as he stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to find it in himself to regret his past decisions. Bokuto’s smile when he licked the ice cream, when he thanked Akaashi profusely for coming along with him...It was almost like a date.

Akaashi’s thoughts grew wild with that statement, and he grabbed a pillow and smashed his face with it. Not now, when he was delirious with a fever.

He looked at the ceiling’s patterns again and his eyelids flickered as he realised how tired he was. His head felt heavy and he wanted to sleep forever. He shut his eyes tightly and he felt himself fading away from the world.

_______________________________

Akaashi woke up to a bunch of beeping notifications blowing up his phone. He shoved his blankets away as he tried to locate his phone on the table. As he grabbed it, his phone rang with another message and Bokuto’s name flashes on the lockscreen. He swiped it open to see his messaging app being assaulted with Bokuto and his stream of messages. 

_“akaashi!! wru??? ur late!!”_

_“akaaaaashi coach is gonna kill you!!”_

_“r u sick???”_

Akaashi was surprised that he didn’t wake up from the amount of spam coming from his messages. The other members have also sent get-well-soon messages, but Bokuto had sent the most by far. 

Somehow, he found it oddly endearing to see that he was being cared for.

When he scrolled to the bottom of the chat, his entire body froze.

_“hey hey hey!! im coming over!!”_

Akaashi quickly sat up and was immediately filled with regret. He clutched his head and groaned as a sharp pain stabbed his brain. He was in no state to greet Bokuto. He hadn’t even changed out or eaten anything. Even a deaf person could hear his stomach rumbling.

As he forced himself out of his warm and cozy blanket fort, he pulled up his long sleeves and peeked at his arm. Ah, Owl wrote to him when he was asleep.

Or not.

Written on his arm was a series of numbers and letters resembling a house address. Akaashi pinched his nose and sighed fondly. Another wave of nausea hit him as he pulled down his sleeve without reading the scribble.. Owl must be delivering something or going to a friend’s house again. He probably knew that he would forget the address. Honestly, why couldn’t he write it on his phone instead?

A loud bell echoed throughout the house.

Shit, he forgot that Bokuto was coming over. He hurriedly got up, ignoring the new wave of nausea that invaded his senses as he stumbled his way to the front door and yanked the door open.

“Akaashi! Your house was very easy to fi-oh, you look like shit!”  
  


His eyebrows shot up as he glared pointedly at Bokuto, who held his hand up in a surrender position.

“I’m sorry!! Here, I bought some food for you!”

Bokuto lifted the plastic bag up sheepishly as Akaashi moved aside to let him enter. Bokuto looked around his house in wonder, mouth shaped in an ‘O’. Akaashi notices his reaction, and lets out a (homosexual) sigh.

  
“I’m sure there’s nothing special about my house, Bokuto-san.”

“Yeah but it’s my first time seeing your house!!” 

Akaashi eyed Bokuto with amusement as he led him into the kitchen.

“Akaashi! Go back to bed! I’ll take your food to you!”  
  


“Wait Bokuto-san, you’re a guest, you shouldn’t be-”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!! Go back to bed!!” 

Bokuto pushed Akaashi out of the kitchen and turned his back on him as he took the food out of the bag.

Akaashi, finding no energy in himself to argue with Bokuto, staggered back into his bedroom as he felt his head acting up again. He sat on the bed gingerly and replied to more well wishes from his classmates when Bokuto entered the room with a bowl of noodles. 

“Eat up!”

The growl that came from Akaashi’s stomach made him cover his face with pillows in embarrassment. When he looked up, Bokuto was staring at him with wide eyes and a flushed expression and Akaashi’s face heated up. He convinced himself it was from the heat of the food. 

_______________________________

When he finished the bowl of food, Bokuto ordered Akaashi to lie down.

“Akaashi, your face looks kinda red. Are you alright?”  
  
Bokuto pressed the back of his hand to Akaashi’s forehead. He felt a tingling sensation run up his spine and he tried to steady his breathing as Bokuto leaned forward. There was hardly any distance between their faces. He could see Bokuto’s intense eyes peering at him and the sweat trickling down his forehead and his lips. His lips looked really soft.

What would it feel like to kiss those lips?

He was pretty sure Bokuto had noticed his blush, and he redirected his eyes to the pillows hastily, his pulse was racing and he was sure that Bokuto could hear his heart from how hard it was pounding. He swiped his tongue across his lips as he glanced back and forth between the bed and the pillows. Not at Bokuto, definitely not at his face, his cheekbones and-

“I’m fine, it’s probably just ‘cause of my fever.”

“That’s good!”

Bokuto leaned back and Akaashi let out a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding. When he gathered enough courage to look back at Bokuto, however, Bokuto’s face was flushed with a dark crimson and he fumbled with his bag.

“Well, I should go now! I’ll remember to close the door, so don’t worry, Akaashi! Get well soon, the team misses you!”

Bokuto grabbed his bag and dashed out of the room, leaving Akaashi to stare dumbly at the door. What was with the sudden change in reaction?

When Akaashi heard the front door slam shut, he got up to make sure the door was locked. He wasn’t hoping to get robbed while he was sick; there was no way he could fight off the robbers in his current state.

He hobbled over to the front door, his brain clouded with fatigue and the sequence of events that transpired a few moments ago. He fumbled with the lock as he tried to get the door locked.

Akaashi turned to go back to his bedroom when he noticed his left sleeve. It was rolled up at an awkward angle and made his skin feel prickly. As he went to pull it back down, he glanced over what Owl wrote and every part of his body turned to ice.

Sitting bold and snug on his wrist in broad daylight was his house address, looking seemingly innocent and harmless. 

_______________________________

Akaashi couldn’t fall asleep anymore. His mind was wide awake and clogged up with thoughts that embarrassed him. 

When Bokuto was talking about the ‘cool’ setter, was he referring to him? It couldn’t be a coincidence, right? That meant Bokuto thought he was amazing! Was his soulmate really Bokuto, the star that he had been chasing after since Day 1? Bokuto was Owl the entire time and somehow he had never connected the dots? How blind could he have been? When he thought more about it, their handwritings were similar too. Messy, half-slanted, and mainly unreadable scribbles.

Honestly, when Akaashi connected the dots, he mentally facepalmed and he wanted to whack himself over the head multiple times. 

Who else would use the iconic “Hey hey hey!” phrase in their normal daily speech apart from Bokuto?

Amidst Akaashi’s overwhelming panic, he vaguely felt someone writing on his arm and all the thoughts in his mind immediately disappeared. He quickly pulled up his left sleeve and waited for the words to slowly form.

_sorry about using your hand again, i was visiting a sick friend and forgot the address!_

Akaashi wanted to live in denial forever.

_You do realise that you have a phone right?_

Akaashi couldn’t bring himself to confront Owl (Bokuto), especially since he was very drowsy and delirious and he knew that he would manage to fuck it up somehow. 

_im sorry :(( pls forgive me!!_

Accompanying the words were a bunch of owls flying with sad, puppy eye looks (or that’s what Akaashi thought, since the drawing was hilariously bad).

_You’re forgiven. I’ll talk to you later since I need to rest. I was quite tired today._

_ooooh is it because of vb???_

Bokuto’s unknowing words made Akaashi’s hand freeze mid-air, the pen hovering over his skin. He bit his lips nervously as he quickly came up with an answer.

_Yes._

_______________________________

When Akaashi returned to school, he couldn’t meet Bokuto’s eyes no matter what. He was either looking on the floor, or Bokuto’s forehead, or his arms. 

He definitely wasn’t avoiding the situation. 

Whenever Bokuto slapped his back, his skin prickled uncomfortably and he thought back to the afternoon when Bokuto was in such close contact to him and his _lips_ and he should stop spiralling down that thought because it wasn’t going to do good for him now but.

He couldn’t forget that afternoon. It was _constantly_ on his mind. He knew that he was delirious and feverish and Bokuto’s palm was against his forehead and their lips were brushing against each other’s and Akaashi would suddenly think of Owl’s (or, Bokuto’s) words about how pretty the new setter was and his face would burn painfully.

Akaashi wanted to smash his head into the ground like an ostrich and never come back up ever again. 

“Akaashi, is everything alright?” 

Akaashi jerked his head upwards to see Komi staring weirdly at him.

“You’ve been avoiding Bokuto ever since you came back, haven’t you?” 

Akaashi hurriedly glanced to the side, making sure that Bokuto was not in the area. Thankfully, he had apparently left to get some forms from the clubroom. He steadied his quickened heartbeat and replied to Komi.

“I am not.” He could feel his face heating up with embarrassment and shame. He was almost sure that neither of them believed his words, not even himself.

“Whatever you say, Akaashi. Just know that Bokuto isn’t as dense as he seems.” Komi walked off, leaving Akaashi to stare dumbly after him. How bad was it that even his seniors, who tended not to meddle in others’ businesses, had started talking to him about it? 

“Hey hey hey! Akaashi!” Bokuto shouted from the entrance of the gym with a ball in his hands. “Toss to me!” 

Akaashi glanced guiltily at the ground. He had to leave.

“Sorry, Bokuto-san, but my mother asked me to help her with some stuff at home. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Bokuto’s dejected face as he ran out of the gym, heart in turmoil and mind brewing a storm. 

_______________________________

His messages to Owl slowly shortened. He kept them short and sweet, and ended conversations the moment they started. Whenever Owl wrote to him, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for not telling him the truth. The truth that he knew who Owl was, that he was the pretty setter he always talked about, that the pretty setter was Akaashi Keiji who was Bokuto Koutarou’s soulmate. 

Akaashi Keiji was 16, and he was angry at the universe. 

It had been 2 weeks since Bokuto first visited him when he was sick, and ever since then, he couldn’t bring himself to interact normally with him. Whenever he saw Bokuto around the corners, he would duck out of the way and run back to his classroom. When Bokuto asked him for extra tosses, he would come up with a dumb excuse on the spot and run back home. Even his own performance was horrible during volleyball practice. Fouls and missed receives were becoming way too common, and he could tell that everyone was getting fed up. 

He continued to keep his replies to Owl vague, and he didn’t let the conversions get past a “goodnight” or a “good morning”. Owl sounded sad whenever he talked to Akaashi, and his heart ached, longing to talk to Bokuto. 

He couldn’t help but feel responsible for Bokuto’s mournful look every morning. 

_______________________________

Akaashi was about to run out of the gym, having already come up with another excuse, when Konoha stuck out his arm to block the entrance of the exit.

“Not so fast, Akaashi.” 

Akaashi blinked. “What do you want, Konoha-san?”

“Speak to Bokuto. Or we won’t let you leave.” Konoha placed his entire body in front of the exit as a barricade and crossed his arms. “I’m sick of seeing the two of you dance around each other like some hopeless romantics. Just admit that you’re soulmates and get your shits together.” He lightly shoved Akaashi towards Bokuto, who was sulking and kicking at one of the stray balls. 

“There are other exits, you know.” He glared at Konoha, who shrugged.

“Where do you think the rest of the 2nd years are at? We’ll stay outside the gym so we don’t interrupt anything, but if you make a dash for it, we will physically throw you at Bokuto.” With that, Konoha gave a small smirk and stepped out of the gym. Akaashi knew that the threat wasn’t an empty one.

Konoha glanced back at Akaashi. 

“There’s a pen on the bench. Just do what your heart tells you to do.” 

Akaashi’s eyes flickered between Konoha’s retreating back and the sullen Bokuto who was dragging his feet to the other side of the court. After 2 weeks of avoidance, he was finally forced to do what probably should have been done a long time ago.

He walked towards Bokuto with a sense of false bravado and grabbed the pen along the way.

When Bokuto noticed Akaashi walking towards him, he perked up slightly and a small smile appeared on his face. Akaashi felt worse for what he has done for the past weeks.

Akaashi took in a deep breath. “Bokuto-san. I’m sorry for...avoiding you for the past two week. I want to show you something.” He extended his hand, gesturing for Bokuto to give him his palm. 

“Akaashi? What are you doing?” 

“Please, Bokuto-san.” 

Bokuto complied with Akaashi’s weird request and he gently extended his right palm for Akaashi. Akaashi gripped the pen slightly in his right hand, while the other supported Bokuto’s palm. He ignored Bokuto’s mystified look of wonder. He tried to steady his breathing as he methodically wrote a few words horizontally. His hands trembled with nervousness and his heart stuttered painfully. 

He let go of Bokuto’s palm and extended his right arm, showing the words on his own palm. 

_Your owls are cute._

The words were inked there, clear as day, and Akaashi wanted to cry. 

“I’m sorry.”

Akaashi wanted to tell him that he had always been in love with him, ever since he first laid his eyes on him in that court during Junior High. He wanted to tell him that he didn’t know that they were fated to be together, that he didn’t mean to keep this from him. He wanted him to know that he would still love him even if they weren’t soulmates. 

Akaashi Keiji was 16, and he was in love with Bokuto Koutarou.

He didn’t dare meet Bokuto’s eyes. His breath hitched in his throat and he didn’t know what to do. He reverted back to his bad habit of fiddling with his fingers and he could feel tears brimming his eyes.

“I love you, Keiji.” 

Akaashi’s head jerked upwards and he made eye contact with Bokuto for the first time in weeks. His golden eyes reflected warmth and love and Akaashi realised how much he had missed those eyes and how he saw his whole world in them. He felt wet splashes on his cheeks and he immediately brought his hands up to cover his face as he started to sob. 

He didn’t know why he was crying.

“Woah wait Kei-Akaashi! Hey, don’t cry, please?” Bokuto gently pried Akaashi’s hands away from his face. Despite Bokuto’s rough exterior, his hands were really gentle and soft. Akaashi felt his face burning and he knew that his eyes were definitely swollen.

“I knew we were going to be fated. It didn’t matter if we were soulmates or not. I’ve loved you ever since you first stayed back to practice with me. Keiji - can I call you that? It’s a really beautiful name.” Akaashi nodded silently as tears continued dripping down his cheeks. He was faintly aware that he probably looked like a mess of a disaster.

He could hear the hum of the cicadas and the soft murmurs of his teammates who were standing guard outside. The light spills from the sunset entered through the gym’s main door and reflected off Bokuto and he was so, so beautiful that Akaashi wanted to take a picture and frame it in his mind forever. His amber eyes with golden flecks sprinkled in them reminded him of the sunsets when he would spend hours talking through skin and ink. They sparkled so brightly and Akaashi was suddenly very sure that Bokuto was a reincarnation of a star. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his face was bundled into that huge, dorky grin that Akaashi dreamed of and missed everyday after reaching home. The iconic salt and pepper hair that Akaashi had grown so fond of ruffled and fluttered in the small breeze that escaped into the gym. His hair looked very soft at that moment and Akaashi wanted to run his hands through it. 

“Keiji, I love you. You’ve dealt with all my antics ever since you joined and hell - you even fell sick because of me. Everytime I begged you for another toss, you would willingly agree with me even if it was late and we should’ve already left the gym by then. Everytime I would drag you to that convenience store with me to buy ice cream, everytime you would help me buy lunch whenever you knew I forgot.” Bokuto sucked in a deep breath and his cheeks turned into a beautiful shade of crimson pink. 

“When I was young, I thought I didn’t have a soulmate. I just kept drawing and drawing until one day you replied to me! I was so happy, I started celebrating in class and got kicked out immediately.” 

Small chuckles could be heard from the two as they thought about a young Bokuto cheering in class and getting scolded by the bemused teacher.

“I never had a strong interest in owls. They were the easiest animals to draw for me, so I did that all the time. But then, you told me they were your favourite! My first line from my soulmate, and they complimented my owls! You made owls my favourite animal, and I fell in love with you immediately.”  
  


Akaashi thought back to the first time he wrote to Owl. He thought about the frequent doodles of owls splattered across his left arm, and of the small messages that usually accompanied them.

Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly abashed as he continued, ”I’m sorry I never asked to meet up with you, I wanted to let the universe run its course instead of interfering with it.” 

“It’s nice to know that the both of us had the same ideas, Bokuto-san.” 

“Really?”  
  
Akaashi nodded his head fondly. “Yes. I didn’t want to interfere with fate too. I guess us talking was what the universe had planned because you caused me to take up volleyball. And we meet through volleyball too, in the end.” 

Bokuto’s eyes widened with shock as he grabbed tighter onto Akaashi’s hands. “I’m amazing, aren’t I?”

“Yes you are, Bokuto-san. You are the protagonist of my life, after all.” 

The ace shook his head as he pulled Akaashi into a sudden hug. He nearly fell over but the strong grip on his hands stabilised him before he completed the hug. 

“You’re wrong! We’re the protagonists of the world, together! Also, call me Koutarou if you want!” 

Akaashi giggled softly into Bokuto’s neck, before tightening the arms around his back. “We’re the protagonists of the world, Koutarou.” 

Suddenly, Bokuto pushed Akaashi back and grabbed him tightly by his shoulders. He was jolted back into reality when Bokuto started to shake his shoulders.

“Keiji! Can I kiss you?” 

He gave a small nod.

TIme came to a stop. Bokuto gently brushed his lips against Akaashi’s. Akaashi closed his eyes and savoured the moment in its entirety. He moved his lips to close up the small gap and complete the kiss. He tangled and curled his hands in Bokuto’s shirt as he deepened the kiss. 

The feeling was euphoric. He felt like they could conquer the world together, just the two of them and their ink-stained arms. His heart soared and warmth rushed down his spine. The gym faded away, and it left only the two of them in their own world. Akaashi and Bokuto, Koutarou and Keiji. 

Koutarou’s lips really were soft. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Bokuaka Week 2020 Day 7!!! 
> 
> This is the first time I'm writing after like 3 years so 
> 
> Special thanks to moni, kef, eli, and jamo for beta-ing this mess of a fic and dealing with my tenses <3 i love yall!! 
> 
> Come find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kousakk) !


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